Flat tires can be inconvenient for vehicle drivers. Though some flat tire conditions, such as blow-outs or large punctures, immediately render tires unusable and in need of replacement, many flat tire conditions result in a slow leak and a source of pressurized air to reinflate the depressurized tires may be used to remedy the slow leaks until more long-term servicing is available. While some aftermarket systems provide for portable pressurized canisters for addressing a tire leak, such systems can degrade over storage time, and with inactivity, such that they are ineffective and thus offer reduced utility.
In one approach shown by Chinese Patent CN2260016Y, the compressed air generated by a cylinder of an engine is used to inflate a tire. A mixed gas shut-off valve is provided to allow for pure air inlet into a cylinder, and a spark plug of the cylinder is replaced with a hose coupling the cylinder to a tire. Engine operation is used to direct compressed air from the cylinder to the tire.
The inventors herein have recognized the above noted, as well as additional issues with such systems. As one example with respect to CN2260016Y, a typical user may not have the ability to remove a spark plug from an engine and successfully reinstall the inflator hose without introducing contamination into the engine system. Further, a hose sufficiently long to reach between the engine compartment and all vehicle tires may be prohibitively long and susceptible to damage during use, rendering it useless. As another example, a reciprocating air pump comprising a plurality of moving components and valves may be costly and prone to degradation due to extremely intermittent use. In yet another example, use of an engine-driven compressor and reservoir may decrease engine output while adding weight and cost to a vehicle system. As noted above, relying on a pressurized canister requires the user to have a functioning canister on hand. Further, in the case where the pressurized canister includes sealant, the sealant may become ineffective if stored for a duration longer than manufacturer recommendations, and the messy residue left by the sealant may require prompt and professional repair of the tire and may damage tire pressure sensors.
In one example, the issues described above may be at least partially addressed by a method for pressurizing a depressurized object with an engine of a vehicle system, comprising in response to a pressure of the depressurized object being below a threshold pressure while the engine is off, fluidly coupling a discharge of a forced induction system to the depressurized object, wherein the engine includes the forced induction system, and pressurizing the depressurized object by supplying electrical power to the forced induction system. As one example, in this way, a reliable source of compressed air can be provided on-board a vehicle in case of an emergency or non-emergency situation, without requiring heavy and costly air pumps, and without affecting driving performance. As an example, responsive to an indication of a depressurized object having a pressure below a threshold pressure while the engine is off, the depressurized object may be fluidly coupled to a discharge of the forced induction system. Furthermore, a controller on board the vehicle system may supply power to the forced induction from an energy storage device on board the vehicle system to raise a pressure of the depressurized object to the threshold pressure. Additionally or alternately to the controller automatically raising the pressure of the depressurized object to the threshold pressure, in some examples, a vehicle operator may manually control pressurization of the depressurized object to the threshold pressure.
In this way, an existing forced induction system of a vehicle system may be advantageously repurposed as a source of compressed air or a pressurization system for pressurizing various depressurized objects, including depressurized tires and other objects as described herein, while the engine is off. Furthermore, the methods and systems described herein preclude dedicated air pumps for tire inflation and/or pressure vessels for storing compressed air utilized by conventional tire inflation methods and emergency kits, thereby reducing cost and component complexity of the vehicle system while achieving a simple, low-cost, and reliable solution for inflating tires and other depressurized objects. Further still, weight of the vehicle system can be reduced while preserving cargo space since additional components such as pumps and pressure vessels are avoided. Further still, by performing the pressurization of the depressurized object while the engine is off, vehicle emissions and fuel consumption may be reduced, while maintaining vehicle performance. Further still, by repurposing an electrically-driven forced induction system fluidly coupled to the engine air intake the on-time duty cycle of the electrically-driven forced induction system can be increased. Further still, the electrically-driven forced induction system may be automatically or manually controlled to pressurize depressurized objects, thereby increasing flexibility of the pressurization relative to conventional systems and methods by allowing for operator-directed pressurization rates and operator-selected pressurization target pressures.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.